Capabilities
• What can the threat weapon do?
• What is unique about it compared to the other threat weapon types? |
Indicators
• What lets you know that one of these weapons is being fired at your aircraft?
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Capabilities
• Can penetrate unarmored cockpits and passenger compartments
• Limited effective range. Dangerous at under 300 meters, moderately dangerous at 500m, and markedly less effective beyond that unless massed. • Relatively light and 'weak' bullets • Not stabilized, difficult to manage recoil to properly engage aircraft • Difficult to properly lead aircraft moving at speed • Often massed as 'ambush' fire in order to increase effects • When sustained or massed, can cause tail rotor failure of fuel leaks |
Indicators
• Muzzle flashes and smoke
• Normal-sized tracers going past the aircraft. Sometimes there will be no tracers at all, just the impact sounds of bullets hitting the aircraft. • Visible infantry or no visible vehicles • Sounds of bullets hitting vehicle hull, accompanied by light damage |
Capabilities
• Stabilized, high accuracy
• Heavy, damaging bullet. In the case of AAA, this is often an explosive cannon round. |
Indicators
• Large tracers
• Large muzzle flashes and smoke • Stable stream of fire • Vehicle at origin of fire (if veh CSW) • High (HMG) or very high (AAA) damage from hits |
Capabilities
• Very limited range (dangerous at 100-300m, falls off rapidly beyond that)
• Difficult to lead moving aircraft with AT • Depending on the power of warhead, severe damage or destruction of aircraft is likely |
Indicators
• Backblast dust/smoke
• Linear smoke trail • No obvious vehicle having launched it (infantry AT) or ATGM-class vehicle (ie: BRDM ATGM) at launch site |
Capabilities
• Seeking missile(s)
• Long range • Difficult to detect (MANPAD) • Difficult to evade - extremely fast and maneuverable • Powerful warhead, can result in severe damage or destruction of aircraft • Oftentimes multiple missiles available |
Indicators
• Backblast dust/smoke
• Visible smoke trail coming from the ground • Smoke trail is curving/changing direction, indicating a seeking warhead • Radar warning receiver, IR launch indicator |
Pros
• Reduces vulnerability to unguided weapons such as SAF, CSW, HMG, AT, etc
• Increased observation capability • Eliminates dangers of collisions with terrain, trees, power lines, and other obstacles • Higher chance of autorotating successfully due to altitude available • Enemy has a harder time keeping track of you when they're also engaged with ground forces, as it forces them to look up a lot. Allows you to drop in and surprise them more easily. • Facilitates steep diving attacks and strafing runs. |
Cons
• Easier for the enemy to hear and see the direction you are coming from
• More visible/audible to the enemy • Can be engaged by more enemy weapon systems at the same time than otherwise • Easier to be engaged by guided missile systems |
Pros
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Cons
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• Reduced visibility to the enemy
• Can mask with terrain, trees, and buildings, which further reduces visibility and muffles sound signature, increasing stealth and surprise • Reduced vulnerability to some types of anti-air missile systems |
• Much more vulnerable to SAF, CSW, HMG, AT, etc.
• Reduces visibility of the battlespace • Introduces the danger of collisions with terrain, trees, power lines, and other obstacles • Less likely to survive an engine failure due to lack of space to properly autorotate • Reduces effectiveness of some attack profiles such as diving attacks and strafing runs |